The Last Seagull / Последният гларус
Finland, Bulgaria 2023

For nearly 40 years, Ivan has made a living as a “seagull”, or beach bum looking out for rich foreign women in need of male company while on holidays. His work place is Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach resort, a popular choice among tourists especially from Eastern Europe. However, now he is getting old and tired. He is no longer so light-hearted and the pandemic makes things even worse, as no tourists means no money. His biggest asset seems to be his EU passport and Ivan tries hard to reach out to Russian women who want to buy property in Bulgaria. Soon he realises that he is no longer credible as a male companion. Deep down, Ivan is a wounded man. He has an adult son in Ukraine who has cut off all contact with him. Maybe now, in spring 2022, there is a chance for them to reconnect.

In his new documentary feature, the critically-acclaimed Bulgarian documentarist Tonislav Hristov creates an endearing portrait of an aging man, with all his faults and mistakes, who life has treated unfairly. Bittersweet and darkly humorous, the film reveals curious details about a local phenomenon from the recent past.